Natsu Arashi Scroll
by SadisticSelf
Summary: Natsu is a teenager, almost an adult, who faces different dilemmas as she goes on her journey in the Naruto world. There many plots awaiting her whether it be happiness, demise, or... good playing bad. Yay , my first Naruto story.
1. Scroll 1

Disclaimer: I do not anything from Naruto but my own characters. =] My first Naruto story so… enjoy.

Scroll One: Meet Natsu Arashi

How I hated Konohagure. The place that had nurtured me into a ninja, but it had only abandoned me later. My name was Maya Kanazawa. I had a family, but they shunned me throughout my life. I never understood the hatred in my parents' eyes. I had a small hunch that it was for becoming a better ninja than my older brother could. No matter how hard I tried, father and mother would only praise the eldest and glare at my small accomplishments. It was after I became a jounin that I officially lost my home, family, and attachments to Konoha. When I was younger, I had layered black hair that reached my neck and violet eyes that could be mistaken for ebony. I stood at 4'9" that I thought was normal for an age of a 12 year old. However, this was all in the past 4 years ago. My name is now Natsu Arashi. I am now 5' 3". I had my hair grow longer to my mid-back, and my bangs slanted to the left side of my face. I am a chuunin, who will take part in the jounin exams soon. My team is now a team of three ever since the loss of cheerful Ayako. On her trip with some family members to visit other relatives in Rice country, some foreign ninjas ambushed her when passing through Grass village. They may have been after her bloodline limit. She had potential to become more powerful than Ruka and I, but we will never know now. Ruka and I had since vowed to avenge her death after we figure out who her killers are.

Matsuya-sensei is currently on a mission with Ruka to Sand village to exchange documents for our new Hokage, Tsunade. I am currently under the alias of Hirota Satou with a mission to retrieve a powerful jutsu scroll in Rain village. I disguised myself as an average looking male traveling the country. I decided to go to a local pub to have a few drinks and find information pertaining to the lord in the area. However, I returned to my hotel room because none of the Rain nins were exchanging information to one another tonight. The only information I retrieved was that there was an out-of-town celebration tonight and the lord was invited. I sat on a gray cushioned chair next to the window. As I stared out at the pouring rain from the windowsill, I had a sudden trip down memory lane.

I recalled the day when my family kicked me out. I came home after a successful C-rank mission with my team; they were Ruka Zaraki, Ayako Mira, and team leader Matsuya Umei. Ruka Zaraki was a year older than Ayako and me, and he was exceptionally talented with ninjutsu and genjutsu. Most of his family and relatives were part of the Anbu for many generations, so this path practically influenced him to follow. Ayako Mira was a specialist in ninjutsu and had a bloodline limit called Kyorei. Kyorei activates the chakra circulatory system to power up the user in combat. It drastically improves taijutsu and ninjutsu. Matsuya Umei is a jounen who used to be part of the Anbu, so it is a given that he is very skilled and experienced. We have yet to see his jutsus and combat in battle.

When I returned home after parting from my team, I walked towards my house. However, my brother came out of the front door smirking. My brother is Kirei Kanazawa; he became a chuunin at 15 years old. He used to be nicer to me when we were younger. It was only a few years ago that he became meaner to downright evil to me. He smirked at me as I stared at him questionably. He spun and played with a kunai with his fingers.

"Hey squirt. I'll just tell you now so you don't be in a big shock. Mom and dad were talking, and I just happened to overhear that they're going to disown you."

I gaped at him and suddenly ran into the house, leaving the door ajar. My brother laughed after me and went on his way to his team meeting. I quickly went into the living room and saw both of my parents sitting on the couch. They looked up at me when I came in and stood at the doorway to the kitchen.

"Mom, dad. Kirei-ni-san is just joking right? Ha ha… you couldn't possibly be disowning me. I successfully finished my mission with my team today. Tell me you're ju—," my mom interrupted me, her eyes fiercely glowering at me.

"No, he is not joking. We have decided that you are no longer needed in this family."

"But mom—"

"No, nothing! Ever since you were born, your brother has slacked off in becoming a powerful ninja." She got up from the couch and walked towards me just to slap me on my cheek. I held my stinging cheek, tears threatening to fall. However, I held back because they would just cause more pain to me. My dad looked at me, and in his eyes, I could see that he thought I too was a failure for the family. Unlike mom, he did not need to say anything. His expression told me everything. It had finally clicked…I was not supposed to be born. All those years of resentment and hatred from my family, I was a mistake to them. An unwanted child. Kirei was supposed to be the only child. I looked down, my hair covering my eyes, and my jaw slacked then tightened.

"I wasn't an expected child, huh? Nii-san was supposed to be the only one…the only one to have your love. And yet, here I am! Your own flesh and blood!" I screamed at them; I looked up with tears streaking down my cheeks. Unknown to us, my brother was eavesdropping who now had wide eyes and gaping at this unforeseen event. '_I thought they were just going to disown her like any other adopted kid…I did not expect them to disown their own child. They told me she was adopted…'_ Kirei looked at me in shocked and in shame, for mistreatment and being the biggest and meanest naïve older brother.

Meanwhile, mom and dad left the room while I walked to my _room_ upstairs. I grabbed my portable suitcase because I always knew it was going to happen eventually. Those late night talks that they would have when they thought I was supposedly sleeping. That should have been the biggest hunch to me. Well, I guess it happened sooner than I thought. I packed all my clothes and essentials with me. I also grabbed my collected savings under my floorboard, which would last me for a few days. I stared at the picture frame on my drawer that held the family picture. It had dad and mom in the back while Kirei was in the front arm locking me. We were all smiling at that time; however, I could now see that dad and mom were faking their smiles. I stared at it for a few minutes and decided not to bring something that would cause me pain. Instead, I grabbed a random permanent marker and drew a big X on my picture where I was. Then, I threw it into the trashcan. The picture frame cracked, and coincidentally, the line of the crack divided the family from me.

After collecting my belongings, I gave one last look at my room. I walked downstairs to an empty living room. I assumed my parents were in their room towards the back of the house near the kitchen because I could hear mom talking to dad. I decided I should leave now than face mom's wrath and have them throw me out the house. I closed the door quietly behind me and walked towards the academy; maybe Iruka-sensei could help me. About 5 minutes of walking, I heard heavy running behind me. I guessed it was Kirei.

"Wait, Imouto!" My brother ran towards me, so I stopped to wait for him. I wanted to hear what he was going to say; probably something mean again. He slowed down and took a few minutes to catch his breath.

"Um… look, I know we have our differences, but I swear I didn't know mom and dad were going to disown their own child. They told me that you were an ad-"

"Shut up. What would you know? Me, adopted? Don't make me laugh. You had plenty of years to figure out if I were your real sister or not. You're old enough anyways. Don't go try turning into a good brother because you NEVER BEEN ONE!" My voice was calm in the beginning, but it eventually became a yell towards the end of my exclamation. I glared at him and the house that used to be my home.

"I know I haven't been the best brother, but I'll make up for it. Maybe I can try to convince them to ta-" Still, he tried to persuade me with all he could. I walked up to him and smacked him. He stared at me bewildered.

"I'm not an idiot, Kirei. Don't think for a second that I could be persuaded by such a spoiled person. You, who has been sheltered and loved, would never understand how I felt with the loneliness and insults from _this family_. …Oh wait, what family? I didn't have one to begin with. Goodbye, Kanazawa-san." I left my _brother_ abruptly as he just stood there absorbing what I said. Even as a young child, I was always considered mature and smart for my age; which always made me wonder where my intellect came from. I continued walking and made it to the school in 20 minutes. I guess mom and dad did not care enough to look for me. I looked at my school. The classroom door was open, so I assumed Sensei was still inside.

'_Just great, you know? Didn't think my life would turn out this way…_' I peeked inside the door, only to find out that it was empty. The rows of the classroom looked so empty. I sighed at my misfortune and decided to see my best friend. Sasuke Uchiha is my best friend; we managed to keep that on low profile. How that began was pure accidental and maybe coincidence.

In actual time, I sighed at that time. I got up from my chair and walked towards the bed. I rummaged through my bag and took out some food. My stomach had grumbled, which made me 'pop' out of memory lane. I also pulled out some scrolls to review and ate some melon bread as I went through them. As I flipped through my notes, a picture fell down. In it held Sasuke, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Kakashi-sensei. I grinned slightly at it, and another blink brought me back into my memories.

_I was running from my mom's daily beatings. She was mad that I had spilt grape juice on the floor in the kitchen, so she took this chance to hit me. I managed to escape the house with minor injuries, but her hits still stung my arms and cheeks. I think I had some cuts too. I walked to the lake that I found coincidentally. I sat on the edge of the water and tended to my many scrapes and cuts inflicted by my mom. While I was doing that, I did not notice someone else being in the same vicinity._

"_Oi, what are you doing?" The sudden voice spooked me, and I turned around quickly to find an arrogant spiky haired kid with dark colored eyes. I quickly pulled my sleeves down to hide my wounds._

"_Nothing. I'm just sitting here to enjoy the scenery." I lied straight-faced at him, and he could only stare knowingly. My scratched face and torn clothes was a dead giveaway._

"_I see. Well, if you want help bandaging, just ask. I'm Sasuke Uchiha by the way." He smirked at me. I looked down at my arms and saw that the blood leaked through my poor bandaging skills. Cheekily smiling, I kindly asked him to help. He did not question how I got these cuts, which I was thankful that he did not._

"_I'm Maya Kanazawa. Thanks for helping me, Uchiha-san." He tied the last bandage and nodded that it was good enough. He then turned and faced me._

"_It's okay. Just try to get help next time. See you later." With that, he walked away while waving his arm. I stared after him and smiled at his back. 'I guess rumors about him being cold aren't true after all.'_

It took me 20 more minutes to reach Sasuke's house. I walked through the deserted compound until I reached his house in the center. I knocked on his door, but after 10 minutes, I figured he was not home. I sat on his patio outlooking the area.

'_My luck seems to have gone to zero.'_ I decided to stay until he came home. His mission couldn't be out of the village, right?

Right.

.

.

.

Oh, how wrong I was because it turns out that Sasuke's team managed to get a C-rank mission to Waterfall Village a few days ago. During my duration of waiting for Sasuke, my stomach grumbled.

"Heh, guess I should eat some dinner and train somewhere secluded. There was no doubt that my brother will try to find me." I told myself to make myself feel better. It was lonely without your best friend to try to cheer you up, even if he sucked at it. Walking into town, I went to Ichiraku's ramen stand and ordered beef ramen. It is always a wonder to me that Naruto's favorite dish was here. As I ate, I could not help but look at random families happily walking the streets. I paid for my meal and left to the lake where I first met Sasuke. I ignored the stares from the owner and his daughter Ayame.

When I arrived at the lake, I pulled out some shurikens to practice throwing. My aim was not as great as Sasuke, but it was still good. Practice makes perfect is what I learned from Sasuke. After 30 minutes, I switched to taijutsu, which was one of my stronger attributes. I punched, kicked, and did many flips at random trees. All the trees I hit had left marks of my training. Some of my knuckles were either bleeding or red. Next, I practiced my ninjutsu. I practiced cloning, chakra control by walking up a tree and the lake, and small summoning jutsus. What my family did not know was that I inherited a bloodline that obviously ran in the family. It may have skipped mom, dad, and Kirei, but I discovered it when I was training with Sasuke.

"_Ne, Sasuke. Let's train at the lake again!" I tugged at Sasuke's right arm. He looked at me and smirked. I smiled brightly at him and started to drag him._

"_Okay, okay. We don't need to rush, Maya." I continued to drag him, and he decided to keep up with my pace because I would not slow down even if he tried to ask again. When we reached the lake, I jumped a few feet back and prepared myself for close combat training. Sasuke got into his fighting stance too. After a few seconds of silence, I attacked first to try to get the advantage. I ran towards him and disappeared in front of him. I reappeared behind him to punch. He quickly blocked my punch and aimed a counterpunch to my stomach. I maneuvered out of the way and kicked towards his torso. He flipped back and sprung forward to give me a series of punches and kicks. Luckily, I managed to come out of that with few bruises and cuts._

"_Heh, you sure improved a lot since we last trained."_

"_Well, I can't have you beating me everytime."_

_We both smirked and once again began our attacks and counterattacks. Finally, I distanced us, did quick hand seals, and summoned a fireball at Sasuke. He countered with water bullets, and some of them managed to hit me. I could not sense Sasuke or his signature chakra after his last attack. I put up my guard and searched for him. Suddenly, my face ate the dirt because he caught me from behind with a kick to my back. I got up slowly and tried to trip swiftly. He managed to jump away and pulled out a kunai. Likewise, I pulled out a kunai. We were now engaging in a kunai close combat. He charged at me first and swiped at my face. I blocked his kunai with mine and proceeded with a sidekick. With his other hand, he caught my leg and threw me towards the lake. I slid on top of the water but did not fall into it._

"_Seems you've improved in chakra control as well." He said to me, smirking._

"_Well, if it means doing everything to beat you, sure."_

"_Well, you're not exactly winning. Heh."_

_I glowered at his last comments and ran towards him. He did the same. We did another parry of attacks, but Sasuke still managed to get more hits on me. I was tired now from attacking and defending from him. I was almost out of chakra too. Not to mention that I did not have any other jutsus that would work on him. I finally noticed that Sasuke was about to finish me off with a fire jutsu._

'_Damn. If only I could do something.' I stared very hard at Sasuke that with such intensity I did not notice I was glowing. Sasuke stared wide eyed at me. I did not notice, but I knew I felt a lot better than a few minutes ago. I suddenly ran towards Sasuke. It was amazing that I could see and evade his attacks. I also managed to land hits on him too. Sasuke panted hard as he held his right arm to his side. His injuries were either scorched or smoking. He tried all that he could to parry my attacks._

"_Seems you had an ace up your sleeves after all, Maya." I looked at him confused. He noticed my confusion and pointed in the water. Curious, I walked towards it and saw my reflection. My eyes had changed into a bright blue color that was close to whitish blue._

"_Wow! What does this mean, Sasuke? You think it's a bloodline limit?" I excitedly told him while clasping my hands and jumping up and down as we walked back to land. We decided to call it a draw._

"_I suppose so. You should ask someone. Maybe your mom or dad." He replied to me, and finally the fatigue of training hit us. My blood limit wore off, and I fell to the ground. Sasuke followed suit._

"_Maybe. But for now, I will train and see what else I can do with it." I turned my head at Sasuke and smiled. He turned to face me too and smirked as we breathed in much needed oxygen._

"_Of course."_

I activated my blood limit after mumbling the word. There was no need for anyone to overhear. I decided to keep it a secret until I participated in the chuunin exams. I had learned of the rest of the skills I can do from reading about my family's history. After activation, I began to practice a series of many jutsu. I quickly did hand seals in the order of horse, rat, dragon, rat, dog, bird, monkey, and back to horse. Instantly, a bright blue and red falcon came from the smoke as it flew towards the sky and then back to me. It perched on my shoulder and awaited orders.

Kuzo was from an ancient falcon family who rarely associated with humans. I was lucky to get a C-rank mission with my team to Rice country, where some foreign ninjas wounded him. He escaped when my leader went after the enemy, and my teammates and I rescued the bird. However, two more enemies came after us, and Ruka told me to escape with the bird towards the village. This was how I saved his life, and he offered to aid me in battle after a contract, of course. Matsuya-sensei taught me all the basics about summoning contracts, and my team trained with it. Sensei thought it would be good practice for us all. I had yet to summon Kuzo with one seal.

"We are going to practice some duo attacks in case of ambush. I am still training to summon you with one hand seal, but for now let us train, Kuzo-kun." I said to my friend as it nodded its proud head knowingly.

"Let's see how much you've improved, Hime." Kuzo swiftly flew off as I summoned some clones. I thought five Doppler gangers would be enough for a warm up. They quickly dispersed as I prepared myself for attacks. Almost 10 seconds had passed from the jutsu, and I swiftly side jumped a barrage of shurikens aimed at my previous standing. I shushin'd away and attacked a clone in the trees. Kuzo immediately was in combat also, as I heard a series of jutsus aimed at him. Fireballs and water bullets flew up at him as he swooped down to pierce a clone. He lit fire upon himself and dived at the clone in the middle of the other two clones. This meant I had two clones coming after me. Leaving Kuzo to his devices, I jumped away from a kick from the side and leaned back fast enough to dodge a kunai piercing to my front. I quickly pulled out a kunai myself and attacked the clones with kicks, stabs, punches, flips, and parries. Luckily, I caught one clone off guard with a fake punch, and stabbed her with a kunai. She disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The other clone almost kicked me, but I blocked with both my arms. That really stung my arms. I pushed back, and twisted my body fast for a kick to the torso. She jump away and fled.

"Che. I better help Kuzo."

I shushin'd towards the crash I heard a few meters away from me. Two clones outnumbered a weary Kuzo. The third clone joined the group, and now they began to attack. I decided to summon a lightning tornado at them. I knew this would drain most of my chakra, but I had to try. I did another set of hand seals, and put my hands together as the monkey seal.

"Lighting Tornado Jutsu!" I yelled as a ferocious gust of wind began to spin. Soon, it spun so rapidly and formed a mini tornado. Dark clouds formed above the tornado and sparked with streaks of electricity. It struck the tornado, and now it formed into a lightning tornado. This all formed within a minute.

"_So time-consuming! I need a way to do this faster."_

With the given time, the clones now aimed at me. I maneuvered the tornado to go after the clones. It swiftly spun to the clone on the right. The lightning struck the clone, and the clone puffed out of existence. I could not hold onto this jutsu for any longer, and the clones were closing in on me with kunais. The clone on the left threw kunais and shurikens at me, while the one on the right ran full speed at me with kunais in hand.

"Kuzo, quickly get the one on the left!" I yelled at the falcon as my jutsu blocked the stars and dispersed to a calm breeze. The weapons fell to the ground in a heap. I engaged in combat quickly after the Kuzo deflected one of the clones.

'_Maybe we should tag team this.'_ I ran towards Kuzo's blind side, and my clone followed me.

"Kuzo, let's do this!" He let out a piercing cry and dived at my clone while I swung the kunai at his. The sound of the kunais connecting rang through my ears. I flipped backwards when she tried to kick me. However, on Kuzo's side, the clone parried his attack, punched me on the back, and proceeded with kicks at my torso and legs. Both clones had joined to attack me together. I backed up with a fighting stance. I lost my spare kunais from her kicks. Kuzo immediately flew with blue burning wings at the clones and managed to cut one on the shoulders. Luckily, there was enough overall damage to her, and she disappeared from his attack.

"Glad you can make it. I thought for sure I would lose." I called out the Kuzo, who held his distance from being barraged by shurikens.

"Couldn't let you have all the fun, now can I?" He retorted back and pierced through the sky.

I ran at the clone and we began to trade fists and kicks. Kuzo decided to summon a fiery tornado and began to collect the winds by flying swiftly in a circle. I rolled backwards after a hard kick from my clone. She smiled and did quick hand seals. After recognizing it, I jumped into the trees in a nick of time to avoid ice shard spears that pierced the ground.

'_Damn, why didn't I think of that?' _I jumped onto another branch as fireballs scorched my previous standing. Kuzo finally made his tornado and set it aglow with his fire. He had chakra infused it with the tornado and now guided its destruction toward the clone and me. He glowed brightly with red and blue as he flew to us. By using her confusion, I quickly kicked her into the path of the tornado and watched as she instantly disappeared. Kuzo quickly dispersed his summon and flew to me.

"Kuzo, that's a really nice tornado. Much more efficient than my lightning one." He chuckled at my statement.

"If it were raining, yours would be much powerful. You had to summon both the winds and lightning, Hime."

Kuzo perched on my shoulders once again as I walked to the now scorched clearing. I looked towards the sky and realized it was very late.

"Time to rest up, Kuzo. I will see you again for the next time we train."

"Very well. Have a good night, Hime." He nodded and poof back to his domain. All the while we were training, a hidden nin smiled at the development from the trees. His gold eyes sparkling before he disappeared just as quickly as he appeared.

I continued to walk through the training area and decided to go check if Iruka-sensei returned to the academy. As I walked, I could not help but wonder how messed up my life was. Luckily, I did not have to dwell long on it. I saw Sasuke and his team returning by the gates. Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi-sensei parted from Sasuke as he walked home. I ran towards Sasuke and patted his shoulder. He looked over and smirked.

"Hey Maya. What are you doing here?" He continued walking in the direction of his house.

"Well, I was wondering if you would mind letting me stay at your place for awhile, so I can find a home of my own. Turns out I got kicked out of mine this morning after my mission."

I told him very nonchalantly while looking ahead of us. He frowned and motioned me to follow. I complied, and we silently walked to his house. To lighten the mood, I started another conversation.

"So, how was your mission to Waterfall country? Anything exciting? Did Naruto-san kick your butt? Hehe." He smirked at me and began his short tale of his adventures with Team 7.

"Turns out it was a B-rank mission instead." He stared at the trail.

"Ehh! No fair! I only went up to C-rank." I poked him on his arm a few times and frowned childishly.

"Heh. Guess Dobe did something good for once. Anyways, we managed to save the bridge builder, the Dobe got the bridge named after him. Che."

"Haha. Someone's jealous. What's it called?" I chided to him.

"…The Great Naruto Bridge." He mumbled and looked away.

"Hahaha. You're jealous at that? Pfft, not like the name The Great Sasuke Bridge would sound as good."

He glared at me and I laughed pathetically as I put my hands up in defense. We continued walking as I told him about my day. Little did we know, Sakura had followed Sasuke. She frowned significantly and clenched her dress. She never knew this side of Sasuke, and she was on his team. She had found her new rival in getting Sasuke, but she did not know the girl with Sasuke is his best friend. Sakura left quickly and began her trip home. She began to devise a plan to humiliate _me_, so that her Sasuke would not like _me_.

'_Grr. No one but me is going to get Sasuke!' Her inanimate mind crushed a poorly disfigured doll of Maya._

Meanwhile, Sasuke and I entered his home. I took off my shoes as he walked into his kitchen. I joined him soon after and saw him preparing dinner of fried fish, rice, and miso soup along with sliced tomatoes. Seeing him fry the fish too much, I bumped him away from the stove and proceeded to cook. I smiled at him and swatted him away…

A loud knock on my hotel door brought me out of my thoughts. I got up from the bed after unsummoning the documents. I walked to the doors and opened to see the hotel manager. He smiled and said that dinner is being served now. I nodded and thanked him for telling me.

"I'll be right down. Thank you very much, Manager-san."

"It's no problem at all, Satou-san. Just make sure to come before everyone else eats it all. Ha ha ha. Have a nice night." He bowed as I did the same.

"Of course, you have a wonderful night as well."

After I closed the door, I went back to my bed and noticed my uneaten bread. I took a couple of more bites and thought back to what I was reminiscing. Another picture was beneath Team Seven's. I took it and saw that it was my team's. Ruka, Ayako, and I were either smiling or smirking, while Matsuya-sensei smiled widely behind us with his hands on Ruka's and my shoulders. Ayako was in the middle of us all. My eyes now held a faraway look. The two pictures were lying side by side on the bed. My thoughts continued the last memory…

"You were burning the fish. I don't want to get indigestion tonight."

Sasuke merely mumbled and set the table. I brought over the plate of fish and sat across from him. His table was a rectangular shape that could fit six people. He began eating his portion, so I copied him and began to eat. We ate in silence as usual when I came over. It was not a bad silence; it was peaceful and comforting. After we ate, I washed the dishes. We decided to talk in his living room, since it had the sofa and all. I sat on the long sofa and told him of how my parents resented me ever since I was born. He took note of everything, and it seemed to make him only angrier. I also told him that my brother actually tried to get me back into that foreboding house after all these years of mistreatment. The family had kicked me out just because there was no use for me. Therefore, I told Sasuke I planned to change my name when I saw the Hokage. Sasuke stood up and walked to another room. After a few minutes, he walked back out and handed me a towel and some clothes.

"C'mon. I'll show you where you'll be staying. I'm sure you need to shower like me, but you can go first. The bath is already heated."

I smiled with tears in my eyes. When he turned his back, I ran at him and hugged him from behind.

"I don't know where I would be if you weren't here, Sasuke-kun." He slightly smiled warmly and patted my head to comfort me. He let me cry on his back for however long it was. Eventually, I released him and followed him to my new room. He excused himself, and I went take a shower. After I was done, Sasuke took his shower, and I unpacked whatever I had carried with me in my room. While unpacking, I think I fell asleep because I woke up the next morning in the bed. A note was on the drawer next to the bed.

'_I already prepared breakfast for you and left to meet up with my team. You should probably hurry to yours.' Sasuke U._

I read the note twice and looked at the clock.

"Holy sh-! I better hurry." I quickly did everything, ate breakfast, and ran out the door after locking it. I ran to my team's meet up spot. I think I was 5 minutes late. Ayako and Matsuya-sensei were ridiculing each other while Ruka remained nonchalant. After noticing me, Matsuya-sensei lectured about tardiness and proceeded to make me do extra sparring with him. Today, we were sparring with each other and winner would pick the place to eat. Ayako and I were to fight first; there was no doubt that Ruka was the strongest of us all. Matsuya kept Ruka busy with trivial questions as he kept watch of our fight. After 10 minutes of taijutsu, I managed to knock Ayako out after dispelling her genjutsu. Ruka got up and stood in front of me. He was not arrogant, but he knew he was stronger. We smirked at each other challengingly and waited for Sensei to tell us when to begin. I stretched my body as Ruka observed his surroundings.

"Don't go easy on me, Ruka-san."

"Likewise, Maya-san."

We got into our stances and Sensei called out to us.

"Begin!"

I jumped a few feet back immediately to distance us. Ruka had the tendency to attack first without giving any chances. He looked at me and smirked.

"Seems you're on edge against me, as always."

I did not comment but immediately performed the needed hand seals to summon ice spears. Ruka became very cautious and decided to do his own jutsu of summoning fireballs. The spears and fireballs cancelled each other out as Ruka engaged close combat with me. I parried and dodged most of his attacks, but he managed to punch me a few times. I countered with a fierce kick to his abdomen and he slid a few feet back.

"You've been training more, Maya."

"Of course. I like a good challenge."

Ruka immediate performed a genjutsu on me. I became more cautious as the landscape changed into another scenery. My eyesight could not be trusted, so I had to rely on my hearing. I closed my eyes and listened intently for any kind of sounds. I heard some metal clinking and jumped back to avoid a barrage of shurikens as they were embedded into the ground. Then, I was attacked with kicks and cuts. Ruka was really good at pressuring me; I had to dispel his genjutsu fast.

"You're not going to beat me Maya. Just admit defeat."

His taunts irritated me, but I was not going to risk exposing my bloodline limit. I drew out a kunai and cut my right arm. Luckily, for me, Ruka did not use a very strong illusion. The landscape changed back to the training field.

"I didn't think you'd inflict pain on yourself to cancel it out. Bravo."

He smirked at me and ran towards me. He aimed a swift kick to my head as I lean back to dodge. I caught his leg and threw him towards a tree. This had caught him by surprise. He flipped backwards and steadied himself.

"You're not going to beat me forever. I think we should end this now."

"That we should. Prepare yourself, Maya!"

We ran towards each other and began a kunai combat. He kicked me roughly on my shin, but I managed to cut him on his shoulder. He then proceeded to swipe at me with his kunai, and I dodge them by moving my body left and right. He spun rapidly for a deadly slash, so I met his kunai with mine and kicked his stomach to get some distance. He glared fiercely, and I threw several shurikens at him. He parried them away with the kunai. Little did he know, I had connected wires to them. I performed the hand seals and summoned a big fireball. I pulled the wires and managed to trap his legs. His eyes widen at his mistake, and he tried to escape. I set the inferno loose aimed at him with the wires directing its path. The attack connected, and I grinned. However, I frowned when I saw a burnt log instead of Ruka. He had switched places with the log, and now I did not know where he was. Suddenly, a hard kick to my back threw me forward and I rolled a few feet away on the ground. As I got up, Ruka smirked at me.

"You almost had me. There was one flaw however."

"And that was?"

"The time you summoned the fireball gave me enough time to perform a kawarami no jutsu."

Just as we were about start another brawl, Matsuya-sensei stopped us.

"All right team. That's enough for today. Good work Ayako, Ruka, and Maya. Ruka, you won, so you can pick tonight's dinner. You're all dismissed today, except you, Maya." I groaned at my misfortune. Ruka and Ayako waved goodbye as they went home. I turned towards my sensei as he contemplated the mess Ruka and I did.

"Maya, I'm not here to spar with you actually. It seems you had something to talk about with me."

He looked at me sternly. Matsuya-sensei had slightly dark-blue hair that reached his neck. He also had sharp golden eyes that pierced through most people, which meant he was good at reading people's emotions and body language. He dressed similarly as Kakashi-sensei, but wore his headband on his upper arm. He also wore a unique necklace that resembled something familiar. I just could not place my finger on it.

"Well, I was wondering if you could come with me to see the Hokage."

"Oh? Why? Did something happen recently?" He inquired me. He put his face _very_ close to mine, and that made me uncomfortable. His eyes were piercing too.

"Hai, Sensei. It's a very important and personal matter, but I thought that maybe…you could…help me with…" I told him very awkwardly as I turned my head away while blushing. He looked at me for a few seconds and laughed. I looked up and waited for him to answer. He held out his left hand to me.

"Of course. After all, you are part of Team Six. C'mon, grab hold of my hand. It'll be faster this way."

I grabbed his outstretched hand, and we immediately transferred right outside the doors of the Hokage's office. Matsuya-sensei knocked on the doors and a gruff 'enter' was heard. The two guards opened the door and Sensei led me in. Inside, Sarutobi Sandaime sat behind a large oak desk with his hands crossed on top. His pipe was in his mouth as he lightly smoked. A few other ninjas were inside, looking through scrolls and orders. I walked with Sensei to face the Hokage, and we bowed. The Hokage dismissed everyone from his office.

"I'm surprised to see you here so soon. What can I do for you, Umei-san?" He lifted his pipe with his left hand to exhale the smoke.

"My student, Maya Kanazawa, wanted to discuss something with you today. She required that I also attended." Matsuya formally reported to his superior. I looked onward nervously. Who knew that this would be so nerve wrecking! The Hokage mauled over this for a few minutes before he addressed me.

"I see. What is it that you wish to discuss, Kanazawa-san?" He looked at me questionably. I looked up at him determinedly.

"I wish to take myself off my family's roster and change my name." This caught both my sensei and the Hokage off guard. They both stared at me questionably, and the Hokage asked the question that was on both their minds.

"Why do you want to do that? Did your parents do something?"

I looked down angrily at the floor. Just thinking about my _family_ brought unwanted hatred and thoughts to my mind.

"They decided that I am no longer needed. They threw me out just yesterday. Currently, I'm residing at the Uchiha compound with Sasuke, since he is my best friend."

Now, this was news to them. They never thought the Kanazawa family would do such a thing like this. They also did not know Sasuke had formed such a strong bond, besides his team, after his family's massacre. Each pondered over this new information before saying something. Sarutobi decided to break the tension.

"Hmm, that is indeed a great shock and loss. I will look into this matter for you, Kanazawa-san. You may stay with Sasuke Uchiha, until I have spoken with him. As for name changing, we will discuss that another time. I have some things I need to discuss with Umei-san, so you are dismissed."

I bowed towards the Hokage and nodded at my sensei. He would want to talk some more after this. I left the building and decided to look for Sasuke. It did not take long because I found his team and him at the training ground near the one I sparred at with Ruka and Ayako. I walked quietly and stood next on the other side their leader. Sakura was on his right side, so I was on his left. Sakura was too busy cheering for Sasuke, so she took no notice of me. Naruto and Sasuke were sparring, and as far as I can tell, Sasuke was seriously fighting against him. Kakashi-sensei was reading that Icha Icha Paradise book, but he glanced down at me for a few seconds before returning to his book. Sakura sat down on the grass and finally noticed me. I think she glared at me for reasons unknown. I turned my attention from Kakashi to the end of sparring match. Sasuke came out as the victor, which was expected. They both walked over to us and noticed me standing next to their sensei. Kakashi put away his book, while Sakura congratulated Sasuke for winning. Sasuke smirked, but he made no comment. Naruto greeted me with a goofy smile.

"Heya Maya-chan. What brings you here?"

"Nothing really, Naruto-kun. Just came to check up on Sasuke here. I was hoping that he would get his butt whooped." Sasuke glared at me for the comment. Naruto laughed, while Sakura glowered in anger.

"Don't worry! Next time, I'm going to beat Sasuke-teme. Believe it!" I laughed at his declaration.

"Not a chance, Dobe." Sasuke crossed his arms and smirked at him.

"What did you say, Teme!" Naruto shook his fist at Sasuke, and Sasuke stared back challengingly.

"Naruto! Stop picking on Sasuke-kun!"

Sakura decided to end this argument by punching Naruto harshly into the ground. I awed at her amazing strength. Naruto was awkwardly upside down and twitching in the crater. Kakashi could only sigh and form a sweat drop at this reoccurring mishap among his team. Naruto got up and argued back at Sakura for being unfair and always choosing Sasuke's side. She threatened to hit him again. Sasuke did not do anything at all. Kakashi and I gave knowing looks to each other and sighed because it seemed too troublesome. He decided to dismiss the team now.

"Okay team. You all did very well today. We will meet up tomorrow at the usual place, so I can tell you our next mission."

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei." Team Seven responded. I waved good-bye to Kakashi as he disappeared to wherever after nodding. Naruto tried to invite Sakura to eat with him at Ichiraku's, but she turned him down as always. She wanted to walk home with Sasuke, but Sasuke and I were already walking away. She stared in disbelief, and then she frowned meanly at my figure. Naruto left to eat, so Sakura decided to put her plan into action. She immediately ran towards us.

"Wait, Sasuke-kun! I'll walk with you." Sakura did not say my name, so I took note of that carefully. Sasuke seemed to have noticed too. She then brushed me aside and walked between us. She even grabbed onto his right arm. Now that rather irritated me. It was fine by me that she did not greet me, but who does she think she is? Sasuke seemed annoyed as I did at her pathetic attempt to get his attention.

"Sakura, don't you have better things to do?" Sasuke decided say something. He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.

"Uh…no! I just thought it'd be nice to walk together _with you_ home." Sakura replied, hoping he was not upset or anything. She walked _very close_ to my best friend. I could see the distance gathering. They were starting to get slightly ahead of me. I kept quiet, but it seemed to me that she did not me here. I frowned slightly at the corners of my mouth, which Sasuke caught despite the distance.

"Look, Sakura. I'm busy right now. Do you think you can leave for today?"

Sakura frowned at him, but then she turned around to glare at me. I looked up in surprise and gave her a puzzled look. I haven't the slightest idea as to why she was mad at me, let alone do anything to her. Almost doing a 180-turn, Sakura switched back to a sweet girl.

"But, Sasuke-kun, I can help you with whatever you're having trouble on. It's no problem at all to me."

Sakura continued to banter at Sasuke, and he sighed.

"Stop being annoying, Sakura. If you haven't noticed, you've intentionally pushed Maya away. What concerns me does not concern you."

What he said brought tears to Sakura's eyes. She slightly cried and said sorry. Then, she ran back the other way and glared at me while doing so. I looked at her retreating form, but I gave no comments. Sasuke slightly smiled at me to cheer me up, and I smiled back at him. I caught up to his pace as we continued back to his house.

"Well, I didn't expect that at all, Sasuke. I thought she liked me. Who knew Sakura hated me all this time?"

"Hn."

I looked at him and smacked his head slightly. I shook my head when he stared at me questionably for hitting him. I then began retelling him of what transpired after my sparring session with Ruka and Ayako. He kept quiet and absorbed this information. He did smirk when I told him that his sensei was reading a perverted book called Icha Icha Paradise. It seemed his team and he already knew. I chided at him innocently that maybe the book influenced him to become perverted. Sasuke whacked my head softly for having such thoughts as I laughed. We finally reach home, and Sasuke decided he would see the Hokage after meeting his team tomorrow.

As that memory ended, I snapped out of it as hard rain pelted on the glass window. I decided to call it a night. I had much to do tomorrow night. I packed my bag and dressed more comfortably. I never did go down to eat dinner in the dining room. I hope Manager-san does not mind. I unhenged and got into bed. I blew out the candle and slept. Thankfully, I was a light sleeper. The rain was a constant reminder to keep my ears alert.

Next chapter will be out soon. =]. Leave reviews/comments.


	2. Scroll 2

Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it.

Recap:

_As that memory ended, I snapped out of it as hard rain pelted on the glass window. I decided to call it a night. I had much to do tomorrow night. I packed my bag and dressed more comfortably. I never did go down to eat dinner in the dining room. I hope Manager-san does not mind. I unhenged and got into bed. I blew out the candle and slept. Thankfully, I was a light sleeper. The rain was a constant reminder to keep my ears alert._

Scroll Two: A Day of Dangos

Rain continued to fall during the small duration I had slept. It was only four hours before I woke up and henge'd back into my disguise. It was at least 2 o'clock in the morning. I packed everything and opened the window. Raindrops flew into the room, soaking the windowsill and floor. It was still raining slightly hard, which was a good sign. After I steal the scroll, none of the hunter nins would be able to catch or track me, even if this was Rain village. I wore an all black outfit that was slightly similar to Anbu. I covered my face with a black wolf mask, masked my chakra, and jumped out the window to begin my speed shunshining to the location. No one would be able to tell if an intruder had entered since it was nearly pitch black.

I hid in some trees about 200 yards away from the building. The building was a 5-story house that resembled a palace of upper nobilities. Each floor had a walkway outside of the rooms. Most of the doors I knew slid open, except for the main entrance. The whole building was well lighted and had two guards on each floor at each corner. Six guards also tightly secured the main entrance, each guard possessing a katana. There was no doubt that they knew someone would try to steal the forbidden jutsu scroll. I opened a blue print of the building which shown several hidden rooms and passageways. The only way I could get the scroll while avoiding alarming the guards would be to disguise myself as a servant and take some of the hidden passageways to the fourth floor. However, the fourth floor had at least 13 guards surrounding the room and hallways, and five more nins were inside the room to insure their scroll's safety.

'_Damn, they really made my work cut out for me. I should head to the least secured areas, knock out the guard, and disguise myself as a servant. Then, take the hidden doorway next to the supply room to the third floor. From there, I have to skillfully get into the lord's spare room and take the hidden staircase to the fourth floor. There should be a hidden door into the scroll's room, where I will then use a powerful genjutsu on the guards to knock them all out. However, at least two of them I have read can dispel any genjutsu cast on them. Therefore, it will most likely lead into a fight. I will have to dispose of all five guards in less than two minutes before the guards outside switch patrols. All right, I had better start now. I have less than 10 minutes to secure the scroll and rendezvous with my support team at the border of Rain Village and Sand Village.'_

I shunshin'd unnoticeably to the right side of the palace where the guards least secured. The rain could play tricks on the eyes if you do not train them to notice the smallest things. I hid behind some shrubs and quickly disposed of the two guards quietly that were passing by. I henge'd into one of the servants that had went on vacation and hid the bodies behind a large bush. I walked towards the door and opened it quietly. I looked around, identifying many chakra signatures of rogue ninjas and Rain ninjas.

'_Heh, seems like the leader is doing some other dirty work as well if he's hiring rogue nins.'_

I quickly walked in and acted as if I was cleaning the walls and floor, as well as antiques. Two patrol nins passed by and eyed my work, but then they shrugged it off. They continued talking to each other about what they were going to have for dinner. I continued cleaning until I had noticed I reached the supply room. The hidden door should be on the left side of the door. I sparingly gave the hallway a look around and saw that the coast was clear. I quickly shunshin'd and open the door. I heard some footsteps that were about to turn the corner. I patted the wall quickly and finally found the sliding door. I quickly ducked inside and closed it. The footsteps passed by without any disturbance. I heavily sighed at that moment.

'_Okay, I have eight minutes left, which leaves me with 1 minute to get to the fourth floor, 5 minutes to dispose of the inside nins, and 2 minutes to flee.'_

I ran up the stairs and saw a small beam of light at the end. I peeked through the small crevice of the hole and saw the guards making their rounds. Based on the information gathered by Anbu, I had 10-15 seconds to get into the lord's room. No one should be inside tonight because of a dinner party at another noble's house. The hallway was clear now, so I quickly exited the stairway and went into the lord's room. It was empty as expected. I heard more footsteps outside the door.

"Nothing's suspicious here. Let's go." Ninja #1 said.

"Hai. I hope dinner tonight will be good. Keh, I'm tired of having fish all the time." Ninja #2 replied.

"Don't worry. Boss said its roasted pork today."

"Haha, all right. C'mon, let's finish our rounds and head off to eat."

The footsteps faded away and I let out a low sigh. I looked around and found the hidden door next to the bed and large antique vase. They were near the back of the room. I henge'd back into my original outfit and mask, but as a male still. There was no sense in changing back to my original self in case of spies. I slid open the door and found that it was already litted.

'_Hmm…it seems those five are much cleverer than I thought. They're expecting something tonight.'_

I performed a hand seal. At another location, an explosive tag ignited and did a chain reaction on the first floor. I smirked. A loud explosion on the other side of the palace was heard and it shook the building.

'_That should keep them busy. Heh.'_

I peeked again through a hole and saw the 5 nins still surrounding the case that held the scroll. However, I knew that was a fake. The original scroll is hidden among the other scrolls with a special seal. I spied the nins a little longer and saw two of the five occasionally glancing at a particular scroll at the end of the case. The room was a square and in the middle held the fake scroll on the podium case. A scroll shelf was on the right side of the podium that had three guards near it. The other side held a longer shelf of scrolls and manuscripts, but it was least guarded. So, my assumption was not wrong. I had almost three minutes left before the dead nins outside were found by patrolling team. I casted a sleeping genjutsu and leaped in. I disposed of three nins quickly with a slit to their necks. They had barely gurgled. The fourth nin was a little more challenging, but I managed to seal him in a barrier that was noise-proof as well as break-proof. I threw a poison gas can in there too, so he would not be able to talk ever again. The fifth nin was the most challenging. We circled each other to see who would make the first move.

"It seems you're quite more skilled than I thought. You managed to take out my entire team too. It's no wonder Mizukage had this place highly secured for intruders. Luckily for him, I was placed in here. Too bad for you, but you're not going to come out alive. After I kill you, I'll be promoted to jounin rank. Haha."

He smirked at me and threw kunais and shurikens at me. I smirked back and jumped back to avoid them. I blocked some with the kunai too. I had to do this quick. I summoned fireballs at him and ran at the fake scroll. He dodged and leaped at me with kunais in hand. Fortunately, I had thrown kunais with wires attached to them behind the fireballs. I pulled the wires back and saw it wrap around the nin's legs. The kunais embedded into his legs from thighs to his calves. He grunted in pain. I shunshin'd quickly and sliced his neck. He dropped to the floor dead as the other nins. I grabbed the scroll on the shelf and noticed that the fire had spreaded quickly to the all the doors. My only escape would be the window. I could now hear running footsteps trying to break the door open. I stashed the scroll away and performed a seal. I had luckily scouted the building and set up several bomb locations with explosive tags. Another explosion outside the window went off. It was time to flee. I jumped out the blazing room and flew into a raining free fall. I could hear people shouting after me. I shunshin'd out of the area and hid my chakra. I continued running through the dense forest and made record time to henge'd into a traveling merchant. I found a horse carriage already at the set location. I got on and went along the main road that led outside of the village. I turn around and could see the light of the fire and smoke in the rainy sky above.

'_Mission accomplished. Now to meet up with my team. Hope Tsunade don't mind the explosions.'_

I continued and made it the south gate of the village. The nins stopped me and demanded paperwork of where I was going. I took out the prepared papers in my robe.

"I see you're going to Sand Village. Why are you taking this way?" Guard #1 questioned.

"Ah, I have to make a few stops at some small towns. Have to drop some supplies there and visit some old friends. You know how us merchants love to have acquaintances everywhere."

I chuckled a bit, and they nodded and grinned. They bought the lie.

"Be careful on your way. An intruder just raided Toshi's palace, so make sure you don't get robbed either." Guard #2 said.

I nodded and went on my way. I put the papers back in my robe and made the horse run faster. When I was several miles away from Rain village, I met the actual merchant of the carriage. He grinned at me. I henge'd into my male disguise again. He was one of Konoha's spies on the merchanting business that I occasionally ran into on my many missions. We became 'friends' if you will.

"Good to see you made it safely here, Satou-san."

"Likewise. Well, here's your payment and carriage as promised. Don't expect me to do this again you old man."

"Hahaha. Just don't die on me the next time you come visit."

"Will do, Iramaki-san. I got you extra merchandise as a bonus."

"Oh, thank you very much. See you later."

"Ah, until next time."

He rode off to an unknown town while I shunshin'd away to the borders. No one was on my trail. I kept at my pace for 20 minutes. I stopped by a creak and ate some of my rations for energy. It began to rain harder, so I was sure my entire trail was washed away. I began to move again after I finished eating and put away the wrappers in my bag.

At the palace, nins were everywhere searching for clues. The lord had rushed home from his friend's home after a guard informed him of the emergency. The blazing fires were extinguished with many water jutsu and with the help of the rain. The Mizukage was enraged at the mess. He paced inside his office. He summoned some of his nins that were on duty outside of the scroll's room.

"What on earth happened! All five of my guards were killed easily inside of the room. Where were you!" The Mizukage bellowed at them. Each nin were nervous and did not want to say anything that would make him more enraged than he is now. One nin was brave enough to step to the front and bowed. He then stood tall and faced his leader.

"Mizukage-sama. We were informed that only one intruder raided the palace. Some nins that were outside said they saw a male nin escaping the palace. They believe they saw a black wolf mask also before he jumped from the fourth floor to flee."

The Mizukage shook with rage and let out of long shaking breath. He walked to his desk and sat down.

"Mutou." A hidden nin walked out from the shadows.

"Hai." The nin bowed down on one leg as his left knee touched the carpet.

"Get a team together. I have a mission for you. The rest of you are to help with the palace clean up and then dismissed for now."

"Hai, Mizukage-sama."

The nins disappeared from his office and let it quiet. He sat there thinking before a sinister smile fell upon his face.

"It seems I have to backtrack before I can proceed with my plans. Isn't that right, Tsunade?" In his hands, he lifted up a mysterious blank headband that had scorched marks made from a fire.

I ran the last five miles until I saw my team's campsite. I was about 50 meters away. I summoned a small bird and made it flew to the camp to deliver a small riddle. I watched as it flew into the rain and disappeared among the trees. It did not take long for it to return. I unfolded the scroll and saw the correct answer. I thanked the bird with a small treat and unsummoned it. I unhenge'd to my original form. I kept the outfit and mask, I just now had longer hair and more feminate attributes. I shunshin'd just outside of the campsite. I was about to walk another step until I was pounced on.

"Yeah! Na-chan made it back!" A young looking boy giggled as he hugged me from behind.

"Whoa! You didn't have to tackle me from behind, Ikuto-kun." I caught myself before I fell over. He snuggled into my back. I slid off my mask to have a better look at him.

Ikuto Tsuwa is 4'8" with short blonde hair with green eyes. He seems very childish and immature. He wore almost the same outfit as me but in dark blue and had a blue fox mask hanging on his neck. Do not let appearances fool you. He may be shorter than I am, but he is older and a lot more deceptive. The side he is showing is only his fun childish side. He is as cunning as a fox, hence the mask. I would not want to see his serious side ever. Miyuki once said that no one came out alive once they get Ikuto into his serious side.

"Now, now Tsuwa-san. Let her breath." A monotone voice rang out to us. Ikuto slightly let go of me, and I took a big breath of air.

"Aw, poo. Don't ruin my alone time with Na-chan, Miyuki-kun. You're just jealous you can't hug her as I can!" Ikuto hugged me more, though gently. I sighed and dragged Ikuto into the dry area of the campsite. Miyuka slightly glared at Ikuto but shrugged it off.

Miyuki Subara is the leader of this 3-cell team. He had dark brown hair that was slightly spiked and had red-orange eyes. He was the tallest of the three of us. He was also a jounin with Ikuto, which means I was out of their league in skills and experience. Both of my teammates used to be part of Anbu, but they retired a few months ago. The hokage formed this makeshift team for several missions at one time. She said it was an experimental thing and told us no farther details.

"So, how did your mission go, Na-chan?" Ikuto stared at me with big bubbly eyes.

"It was successful. The rain also provided coverage. All in all, I got the scroll Tsunade wants. We should head out soon, though. I sensed some nins searching the outside area when I left the village." I pulled out some bread and ate as Ikuto played with his kunais. He grumbled that I ignored him, which I slyly smirked at him.

Miyuki then briefed us on what occurred with Ikuto and him on their mission to retrieve another forbidden jutsu that was stolen a few months ago. It seems that Grass Village was set upped by Rain Village to steal the scroll. We then set out after removing all traces of the camp. Fortunately, no one had intercepted us when the rain had let up a few miles back. It took us five hours to return to Konoha and report to Hokage's office.

We stood outside her doors before she called us in. Ikuto continued to cling onto me as a teddy bear. Miyuki eyed him discreetly. I took out a book with my right arm since Ikuto hung on my left. I flipped open the book to a random chapter and began to skim. Ikuto whined at me, but I continued to read.

"You may enter now."

The two guards opened the doors, and we strode forward. We stood before the Hokage and bowed. Tsunade sat behind her desk and had her hands entwined in front of her. Her assistant Shizune stood next to her. There were several tall stacks of paper on her desk and next to it.

"Team Subara reporting in." Miyuki announced to our Hokage.

"Proceed." She said and stared at Miyuki.

"We have successfully retrieved both stolen scrolls in Grass Village and Rain Village. Tsuwa-san and I went to Grass Village, whereas Arashi-san headed to Rain Village. During our retrieval, we came across important information and it seems that Rain Village had planned everything. I believe the Mizukage is planning an invasion or war among the nations. It could possibly be to wipe out a nation. Either way, we're going to tread on dangerous waters soon. We will later fill out our reports and turn them in first thing tomorrow morning."

Tsunade did not say anything and continued to digest the information. She then got up from her chair and had her hands in fists on top of her desk.

"If that is all, you're all dismissed except you Arashi. I have another mission for you."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." My teammates left the room after they bowed, leaving me with Tsunade and Shizune. Ikuto went teary eyed and pouted as Miyuki dragged him out. The doors closed behind them, and I turned around to face Tsunade.

"Now then, Arashi-san. I received a letter a few days ago requesting guards to protect a family's heir. More details are in the report. I have already decided on your team. You are familiar with Shikimaru Nara, Sakura Haruno, and Kakashi Hatake?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Good. This is classified as a B-rank mission. You will meet with the team at 1200 hours in front of the entrance gates. Kakashi will brief you on what to do for the mission. You are dismissed for today."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade handed me the report enclosed in a yellow envelope. I put it away in my vest and bowed. I left her office and decided to wander the market before returning to my apartment. I passed by a vendor selling fruits and decided to buy a few apples.

"Sir, I'll take 5 apples please." I told the vendor of the apple cart.

"Alright. That'll be three dollars." He told me and placed five apples in a bag.

"Thank you." I took the bag and bowed slightly.

"Ah, no problem at all. Come back again." He took bowed back and placed the money in the register.

I walked off down the market road and window-shopped. I saw a barbershop, clothes store, deli shop, and weapons store, respectively. I decided to check out the weapon shop before heading home. Along the way, I passed by some familiar faces.

"Yo Arashi. Want to come join us at the barbeque shack? Ino and Chouji are meeting us there."

Kiba called out to me. I stopped and turned sideways to face him and other people. Sakura, Sai, Shino, and Hinata were with him.

"Ah, good to see you too, you guys. Well, I was just heading to the weapon store to stock up on more kunais and shurikens. Maybe pick up a new weapon while I'm at it."

I playfully grinned at them and shrugged. Sai walked up to me and stared at me. I stared back questionably. Sakura was about to punch Sai, she was frowning and glaring at him. She was thinking he would say something rude to me. Hinata timidly tried to stop Sakura from causing the boy harm. Kiba and Shino merely watched amusingly.

"Hime, would you care to join us to eat this evening?" He asked monotonously.

Sakura gaped at her teammate. _He_ had called her a pig and then calls someone a princess, and he barely knows her! She grinded her teeth as her imaginative mind thought of ways to crush Sai with a boulder or drown him in a lake.

"When I get my hands on him, I'm going to strangle him!" Sakura slightly yelled at the albino skin boy.

"Wait, Sakura-chan. I'm sure h-he didn't mean anything." Hinata held Sakura back by her arms.

I shrugged at Sai and replied, "Sorry guys, I got a mission tomorrow with Sakura, Nara-boy and Kakashi-sensei. I won't be back for awhile. I also have to finish my report to turn in. Maybe next time."

"Aw, just come for a bit Arashi! The more, the merrier." Kiba tried to persuade me. He even tried his puppy dog look. A whine came from behind me. I looked around and saw face-to-face with Akumaru.

"Whoa! He sure got big. Aw, I'm sorry boy. I'm very busy this week. Maybe next time, okay?" I petted his big furry head before turning back around at the group. Akumaru walked over to Kiba disappointedly and nuzzled his owner's back.

"Well, you heard her guys. She can't make it. I'm sure you'll come next time Natsu-chan." Sakura said and slightly grinned at me. I mentally thanked her.

"Well, I'll see you guys around. Be sure to tell Ino and Chouji I said hey. See you tomorrow Sakura."

"Alright. Bye Arashi!" Akumaru whined and barked.

"We'll wait for you next time, Hime." Sakura punched Sai on the head and she waved bye.

"Bye Natsu-chan."

I waved good-bye to the group and walked down farther to the weapon store. I pushed open the door, and a small jingle from the bell above sounded.

"Ah, welcome, welcome. My name's Izuki Nabiru. What can I do for you today, Miss?" The clerk said brightly behind the counter.

"Natsu Arashi, and, it's okay, Nabiru-san. I'm just browsing. I might need to refill on some kunais and shurikens, though." I told him as I walked to the new display counter.

"Certainly, Arashi-san. I'll have that ready in a few minutes. Anything in particular?" He inquired before walking about to the backroom. I pondered for a bit.

"Well, I was wondering if any new katanas are in. A sleek black blade or something along those lines. My dagger isn't going to be of much help in other upcoming missions." I replied as I continued to look at various weapons with engravings on them.

"Alright. I'll see what I can find in my stock. Be right back." He nodded at me and walked to the back. I heard various boxes being moved and opened from the room.

I played with a spare kunai as I waited for him to come back to the counter from the stock room. Indeed, I did not have to wait long. The stock door opened again, and I saw a long case being carried in. It was a sleek black case with a dragon engraved beautifully. I could make out the defined scales and claws. Nabiru-san smiled happily and opened the case.

"I found this way in the back. I must have forgotten they were there. Well, have a look." He took out a stand from behind the counter and put it on top. Then, he placed the four katanas on them. However, two beautiful katanas displayed on the mantle caught my attention. Each katana had different styles that decorated the sheath.

The top katana had dark blue swirls on the gray sheath with gold drops. Near the guard, I fingered the cloth and it was smooth as silk.

"What is the description on this katana?" I asked Nabiru-san.

"Ah, well let's see. My father who owned this shop before me once told me about these two. The one you're asking about is called _The Eclipse_. Strange name for a katana, huh? Well, I was told it supposedly channels the moon's light as power. A new moon is when it is at its strongest state. My father does not know who forged it or what it's made from. Some people say it's made from the moon itself. Sadly I'm not sure if that's true. Anyways, as an old saying, I often remind myself a katana is only as strong as the wielder holding it. You can't exactly depend on other's powers, right? Ha ha. Now let me show you the inside then."

Nabiru picked up the katana with the dark blue swirls and unsheathed the magnificent katana. Slowly, he revealed a sleek silver blade with an engraving near the guard. It said _You are the blade. The blade is not you_. I stared in awe at its beauty.

"Well, no matter how many times I lay my eyes on this one, it always makes me gape at it. Ha ha ha. Seems like it got to you too." He laughed. I chuckled along with him and nodded.

"It's not every day I get to see this kind of blade around here. So, tell me about this blade. It's not exactly as pretty as _The Eclipse_, but something tells me it's more than meets the eye."

"Ho ho! Good eyes you have there. Well, let's see. I believe this is called _The Crescent's Blade_. Plain name, huh? But, it is indeed a marvelous weapon. My father said it was once held by a famous warrior who defeated over a thousand enemy soldiers centuries ago. The blade itself was forged by the warrior with a special type of black metal. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it's stronger than titanium."

He held out the blade in its solid black sheath. I ran my fingers across the sheath, and it was as smooth as ever. Like, it was waxed daily. The guard of the katana was black too with white outlining on the wrap. Nabiru slid open the blade from the sheath. It revealed a slick black blade that also had an engraving. However, it was a name.

_Inori Mizora_.

"Haha, see Arashi-san. It isn't as decorative as the other, but it itself is magnificent. No matter how I look at it, I can't find a flaw with it."

"Yeah, I can see that. I think I would like to purchase this one when I come back from my mission."

"Well you have all the time you want. No one buys blades like these anymore, but I'll give you discount on this one when you come back. How about it?" He placed the blades back into the long case and closed it.

"Sure, I'll be back before you sell it, Nabari-san."

I nodded and told him I would be back in a week from now. I paid for the kunais and shurikens I requested earlier and stocked them away in my pouch. I thanked him and left the store. The bell jingled again to notify the owner that a customer was either leaving or entering. The clerk placed the case back into the stock room on the back table.

"I'm sure she'll be back for it. Ha ha. I wonder what adventures she'll have with you."

He closed the stock room and greeted another customer. As he was entertaining his customer in front, a faint glow emitted from the black case that held the two blades in the dark stock room. It silently hummed for a few seconds before returning to its silent state. The owner and customer did not hear anything but continued on with their conversation.

I opened the door to our, I mean, _my_ house. It has housed me for a few years after my family abandoned me. I walked to the kitchen after I took off my shoes. I put the apples in the fridge and took out the plate of dango to munch on. It was a lot quieter nowadays in the Uchiha estate. It does not even feel that long ago when Sasuke left Konoha, it has been two years now.

I leaned against the counter and stared out the window. The dango stick still in my hand untouched. The moon brightly radiated its light through the window. The empty house was a constant reminder to me that I could not stay here forever as I once hoped I would with Sasuke. However, he left me, too, for power. I bit the dango and munched on the chewy dumpling. I grin sadly at the dango at how long ago when the past was a bit happier than right now. It was during the time I met Sasuke again. We both had forgotten we met at the lake until later on after this. The dango reminded me of when the Uchiha family was still alive and intact, and Itachi…

_Itachi stepped out of his home quietly in his usual attire and walked the usual path to Konoho to meet up with his cousin Shisui for a rare mission-free day. Sasuke, four years old at the time, ran out the house to tag along. Since Itachi loved his little brother so much, he agreed to take him out too with his father's approval, of course. Sasuke and Itachi walked a few miles before they had met up with Shisui at the edge of market._

"_Hey Itachi, Sasuke. Glad you can make it! Let's go get some lunch before checking out that new weapon store."_

_Shisui grinned happily at them before dragging Itachi along. Itachi managed to lift Sasuke up onto his back before being dragged off. Sasuke grinned the whole time before he chastised his brother to let him down to look around. Itachi and Shisui stood in line near the food vendor's cart, while Sasuke went explore a bit. Itachi kept a constant eye on Sasuke in case of mishaps that usually happened. It just so happened that Itachi and Shisui turned around to greet their senseis. It was only for ten seconds off the radar, but Sasuke had managed to knock into a little girl who was holding dango sticks. The dango flew to the ground, and Sasuke tripped over the girl. Sasuke began to cry and that in turn made the girl cry. Itachi whipped his head around and saw two crying children on the ground with dirty dango sticks near them._

_Itachi mentally sighed and walked over to his little brother. Shisui hopped over the girl and helped her up while trying to get her to stop crying._

"_'It's okay. It's okay. What happened, Sasuke?"_

_His little brother kept sniffing and finally got to talking after a few minutes of hard crying._

"_Well, I…I accidentwally r-ran into her and and m-made her drwopped her da-dango sticks on t-the grwound." Sasuke's eyes kept tearing up and he rubbed his eyes with his small hands. Itachi wiped his brother's eyes and had him stand up._

"_Then, you should apologize to her, Sasuke. C'mon, don't shake your head at me. Look, she's right there with Shisui."_

_Itachi made him face the girl who now held hands with Shisui. Shisui grinned at successfully making her stop crying. Itachi nudged his brother, and he finally faced the girl._

"_Umm…I'm sorry for pushing you! I…I didn't mean to…" Sasuke managed to say before he began to mumble and look down._

_The girl stared for a bit before grinning brightly._

"_Um… it's o-okay! I can get mo-more dango. I'm Maya Kanazawa by the way. Hehe…" The girl squeezed Shisui's right hand with her left one while smiling. He looked down and almost laughed. It was so cute how kids interacted._

_Itachi almost grinned to but nudged his brother again. Sasuke looked up at his brother then back at the girl._

"_I'm Sasuke Uchiha! Umm...this is Itachi-nii-san and Shisui-nii-san." Sasuke shyly smiled at her._

_Now, Shisui could not hold back and laughed. Itachi slightly grinned. Sasuke really did not know how to talk to girls. Shisui bent down to Sasuke and Maya's level and smiled._

"_Hahaha. Okay, okay. How about we get some dango to make it up to you, Maya-chan?" Maya looked at the three of them and nodded. No point in saying no to new friends._

_Itachi walked with Shisui while the kids walked in front to the sweets shop._

"_I thought you didn't like sweets, Itachi."_

"_Hn."_

"_Well, don't blame me if she makes you try them. Sasuke might pull the puppy eyes on you too. Hahaha."_

"_Shisui." Itachi glared at his older cousin. Shisui sweat dropped and smiled weakly with his hands up._

"_Just joking, just joking, Itachi." Itachi smirked at his cousin's discomfort._

_They walked into the shop, and Itachi ordered the dango. He paid for 12 dango sticks and brought them over to the small group. They sat outside at a round table that could fit six people near the shop in the order of Sasuke, Maya, Shisui, and Itachi. Sasuke grabbed two sticks and handed one to Maya. They bit into the dango and smiled brightly at the treat. Shisui grabbed a stick and started eating too. The two kids started to have an inanimate conversation about their day before the mishap. Sasuke, Maya, and Shisui had managed to eat 7 of the 12 sticks in 15-20 minutes. As Sasuke was talking to Shisui, Maya noticed Itachi looking out at the people walking around the shops. He did not eat any of the dango sticks. She grabbed a stick from the plate and hopped over to Itachi._

"_Ne, Itachi-nii-san. How come you're not eating?" Maya looked at him with puppy eyes just like Sasuke did to him when he wanted something. Shisui almost laughed out loud when he glanced over._

"_I don't like sweets. You can eat them all." Itachi replied before he noticed her sad smile._

"_Oh, okay…" Itachi sighed and gave in when he saw his brother frown too. Maya sat next to Itachi, eating her half-eaten dango and swinging her legs under the chair._

"_Nevermind. I'll have one then, Kanazawa-san."_

"_Call me Maya-chan. Everybody calls me that."_

"_Hn. Okay, Maya-chan."_

_She smiled sweetly at Itachi and handed him a dango stick. Sasuke grinned at his brother eating sweets. Shisui was barely holding his laugh in. Itachi stared at the stick for a bit; his mind was debating whether to eat it or not. He did not want to disappoint the kids, but he also did not want his cousin laughing at him. Maya saw he was taking too long and thought he did not know how to eat. Maya poked him on the arm and demonstrated how to eat it._

_Shisui could not hold it in anymore. First, Itachi was just staring at the stick as if it was an unknown substance. Second, Sasuke got him to give in to the adorable request. And now, she demonstrated how to eat it to him. Oh, my! This was _too good_ to pass up. Itachi glared at his cousin and mentally made a memo to demonstrate how to summon fireballs. Shisui faltered in his laugh and quieted down a bit when he realized what Itachi was thinking._

_Itachi once again stared at the stick. It was as if the dango was ridiculing him now. He imagined it coming alive and sticking its tongue out at him. He really did not want to eat it. It was sweets, for Pete's sake!_

Itachi.

Did.

Not.

Like.

Sweets.

_However, his brother and new little friend were watching him. He sighed at his predicament. It was now or never. Moreover, it had to be __now__. He looked at the stick again and finally decided to eat it. Almost in slow motion, Itachi bit into the dango and chewed slowly at the morsel. Shisui and the kids stared, waiting for a reaction. Itachi chewed a bit longer, his face never changing. He finally swallowed and turned to the group._

"_Hn. It's good." Itachi proceeded to eat his remaining treat; he ignored the laughing and the inanimate recap of how long it took to make him eat it. Itachi slightly grinned without anyone noticing and took another dango to nibble._

I laughed slightly at the memory. I looked down at my plate and saw that I had eaten all three dango sticks during the time I was reminiscing. I looked at the time, and it was about time I written my report.

"Well, time to get to work. I have a long day ahead of me."

I washed the plate and walked into my room. I grabbed some spare clothes from the closet and proceeded to take a shower before I started. I took a 30-minute shower and walked out of the steaming bathroom. I summoned a scroll and began to write my report on my desk. I had refurnished the place to make it feel more homely. I had a desk, a bigger drawer, and a new bed.

It took me an hour to finish my report and seal it in a scroll. I will deliver this first thing in the morning to Hokage. I packed for tomorrow's mission and settled into bed. I had locked all the doors and windows after my shower. I turned off the lights and fell asleep in my bed.

Two red eyes glowed from Natsu's window after she had fallen asleep for a few hours. There were some mumblings before everything went quiet again. The eyes disappeared quickly after the leaves rustled. A tall, cloaked nin jumped down from the tall oak tree with a book in his right hand. He landed on the roof of Natsu's house, right above her room.

"Seems like rain isn't the only thing that's about to fall."

The clouds parted and uncovered the moon. The moonlight shone on the mysterious nin. His spiky silver hair glowed brilliantly against the light. Kakashi Hatake stared into the forest before disappearing to another place.

Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned in for the next chapter! I'm going to need very constructive thinking on the next chapter… xD


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